Into the unknown

Multiple targets, assets, objects and thousands of transactions – how are they connected, how can they be? Jane Inzani of ebis Analytics draws out an answer.

Jane Inzani is a director of ebis Analytics Limited (+44 (0) 20 7531 9555, jane.inzani@ebis.co.uk, www.ebis.co.uk). ebis Analytics provide specialist services to financial services companies, the legal sector and fraud professionals, to transform large amounts of complex data into actionable intelligence to assist in the prevention and detection of fraud and economic crime, and exceed the benchmarks for compliance.

For many years now Government departments’ specifications for new IT systems have included a requirement for data visualisation. Agencies involved in investigations – the investigative arm of HM Revenue & Customs, the Police National Database, and a number of systems for Intelligence Agencies – have all included visualisation requirements. Those involved in the prevention and detection of crime have long recognised the value of visualisation; the ubiquitous i2 Analysts Notebook, for example, has been used by police forces across the world for over a decade. However, use of data visualisation by other organisations with statutory responsibility to protect themselves against economic crime and fraud – including banks, mortgage providers and life insurance companies - or those specifically targeted by criminals, notably those who embrace the electronic tools of the modern age, has been extremely limited. This is despite the fact that visualisation technology has delivered documented, unique results and is now relatively mature.